Bonnaroo. It’s the coolest, hippest music festival that everyone LOVES to go to. It’s a real MUST SEE for music lovers everywhere. But not me. I’ll pass.

I wouldn’t call myself a Bonnaroo old schooler, but my appreciation for the festival definitely happened in its earlier years: 2005 and 2006. Making the trek from Pennsylvania to Tennessee was no easy shuffle, but it was worth it to see so many famous jam bands and acts all in one place.

Some of my favorite acts from those years were Toots and the Maytals, Keller Williams, Steel Pulse, Tom Petty, and Phil Lesh.

When I was a Bonnaroo-er, everyone was peaceful, including the musicians. It was all about having a great time in a nonviolent way and truly connecting with the music. There were never bands on the lineup like GWAR, Jay-Z, or Dropkick Murphys. When you incorporate this kind of music into a peaceful festie, the whole vibe is overhauled and violence is introduced.

Now, the tone for Bonnaroo has changed dramatically. It no longer remains a haven for hippies and jam band fans. With the inclusion of more ‘hardcore acts,’ the scene is just like any other rock festival. Remember Woodstock ’99? Fans, reportedly out of control by all the intense music, decided it would be a great idea to light things on fire and rape women. I can only hope Bonnaroo doesn’t end up that way.

Other than those ‘harder acts’ mentioned above, the complete list of new performers coming in 2010 can be found on Bonnaroo’s artist line-up website. While there are a few bands that look great to me, most I can live without seeing. There is no going back for this festival. It won’t return to the way it was, but I guess that’s just evolution.

If any of you old-time rockers haven’t found out yet, the folks handling the original recordings of the Woodstock performances have recently released entire sets of certain bands. Those lucky few bands include Santana, Sly & the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and Johnny Winter.

I just got my hands on a copy of the entire Santana set, and boy, am I glad I spent that 20 bucks. The band, virtually unknown before their famous performance in White Lake, New York, completely kills it in this live album. It’s full of strong, funky, latin drum beats, blaring guitars and organs, and a flavor unlike any other band that played at Woodstock. But would we expect any less?

The sound makes it pretty close to impossible for you to stand still. I keep listening to the cd over and over again, and always find at least some part of my body moving and grooving along with Santana’s charm.

Drummer Michael Shrieve, who happened to be the youngest (and maybe the best?) drummer at Woodstock, is one of the main driving forces that makes this performance so powerful. His beats, along with the addition of the congos and bongos, make the entire set sound so intense that it’s almost tribal. And of course, where would we be without Carlos Santana, the lead singer and guitarist? His latin flavor brings even more authenticity and spark into the music.

If you’re any kind of Santana fan, you might want to consider picking yourself up a copy of this cd. It comes packaged with the band’s album “Santana” and also a poster capturing them onstage at Woodstock. Also, each one is individually numbered, so you can feel like you’ve really got something special there.

If you’ve never been a Santana fan before, but are considering giving them a go, start with this cd. It is one of their best.

On a side note, I still can’t believe Carlos Santana was on mescaline for this whole performance. Imagine that.

As promised, today I will be giving you a review of the Bethel Woods Harvest Festival and Mountain Jam. Now, if only it had been nicer weather! The entire day, it misted rain, which made things a little harder to navigate, but still great. Luckily, everything was under tents.

Well let me start by saying that Bethel Woods is such a beautiful place to go. Even if you’re not going to the Woodstock museum, you can walk the site of the original Woodstock. It’s expansive and you’ll be hiking around the hills of Yasgur’s farm for hours. By the way, the museum costs $13! (But worth every penny, I’m sure.)

It must have taken quite some time to graffiti this Bug! Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The Harvest Festival was very much like a large farmer’s and artisan market. There were displays of handcrafted quilts made by local seamstresses, an auction for some pretty neatly painted tables, and many interesting things to look at. My favorite was a painted VW Bug sitting in the middle of the field.

The tables of farmers was far more than I expected. Here’s a brief list of what was being sold that day: lettuce, cheeses, wine, peppers, apples, pumpkin, apple cider, soups, breads, squash, gourds, candies, sauces, and flowers. There were even some cool looking sugar cookies in the shapes of peace signs. How appropriate.

The farmer’s market portion of the Harvest Festival actually happens every Sunday. Here is a complete list of vendors.

Not only did the Festival have good food. It also had activities, too. There was a fun little corn maze to get lost in, which I definitely had to do. The corn was so tall I felt like I was in the jungle. There were also musician workshops and mini jam sessions for those interested.

Pumpkins, gourds, and veggies, oh my! Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The shuttle bus ran from the Harvest Festival area up to the museum. The ride along the way was great! Our groovy bus driver pointed out famous Woodstock spots, like the skinny dipping pond and the area where the original stage once was.

Thank goodness for those tents — the bluegrass bands that played needed the cover to perform. They managed to grab the attention of many festival-goers, and some even sat out in the rain to watch them play. Unfortunately, the audience seating was not under a tent, so some people were deterred from the music.

To wrap this up, I highly recommed checkout out the Farmer’s Market next Sunday. You’ll be so glad you did because of all the wonderful fruits and vegetables you’ll come home with. Also, do the museum, too. Any Woodstock fan would be highly stoked, maaaan.

Be sure to check out the free festival this weekend. Photo from bethelwoodscenter.org.

Even though it’s still summer, it certainly feels more like fall. Many autumn changes have begun to take place everywhere. The leaves are beginning to change colors, farm stands now have pumpkins, gourds, and apples for sale, and you can even see your breath on cold nights.

I’d say it’s a good time for a nice Harvest Festival.

This upcoming weekend, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will be having their Harvest Fest on Sunday from 11 to 4 pm. (To reiterate on previous blog posts, Bethel Woods is the original site of Woodstock 1969.) The venue will be calling their celebration the Mountain Music Festival, as they will be hosting various bluegrass and old time American music performers throughout the day.

This is actually the 11th annual Harvest Festival for the town, and it also includes a farmers market (which happens to be open every Sunday). Besides that, there are arts and crafts, pony rides, scarecrows, corn mazes and various workshops.

This FREE festival certainly is offering a lot. It would be silly not to go! I’ll follow this up with a review when I get back this weekend. 🙂

Over this past weekend, the 40th anniversary celebration of Woodstock was held at the original grounds of Max Yasgur’s farm. Except these days, it’s called the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

These two prove that the spirit of the 60s never died. Photo from nytimes.com.

Instead of Max, his son Sam Yasgur was there to make an announcement to all the old hippies and younger peace-lovers. He was very happy to be able to see such a reunion take place.

The concert went on long into the night, lasting for a total of about eight hours. Also, many of the performers grouped together to sing not as separate groups, but as many talents in one.

Apparently, a wedding even took place on stage last weekend. Lead singer Leslie West of the group Mountain was married to his bride Jenni Maurer. The two were wed underneath electric guitars that were held up above them.

A cool thing about the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is the they have now opened a Museum dedicated to the spirit of the sixties and Woodstock. It houses exhibits, a theater, several galleries, a shop, cafe, outdoor theater, and classrooms for workshops. Find out more about it at the Museum website.

If you want to read a great review of the concert, visit the New York Times.

I believe I’ve already posted three separate blog pieces about Woodstock, but hey, can you blame me? The fest was awesome and we’re celebrating its 40th birthday this weekend.

Probably one of the most famous posters of all time. Photo from solarnavigator.net.

In yet another attempt to pay tribute to the great all-mighty 1969 Woodstockers, Sirius satellite radio has begun an epic task — playing just about every show from the entire three day concert.

One of the classic rock channels, called Deep Tracks, has been taken over by Woodstock performers this weekend! (They even renamed it the Woodstock Channel just for this special programming event.) The celebration of music and arts started on Friday and will end today (Sunday).

Not only will the Woodstock Channel be playing music, but it will also be showcasing interviews with performers about their experiences playing on Yasgur’s Farm, and will also be discussing the new movie about the festival, Taking Woodstock.

Just sitting here this morning watching the Woodstock movie has brought fond feelings to this weekend. That is my own tribute. It was truly a time of happiness and carefree lives. Hopefully the folks attending this weekend’s 40th reunion concert will be able to recreate some of those good natured feelings. I’m sure they will.

Which reminds me, if any of you original Woodstockers have any memories or experiences you’d like to share from the 1969 concert, please share them with me! I’d love to hear about them.

It’s no surprise that many people, businesses, and artists have been paying homage to Woodstock, the 1969 hippie fest where peace and love ruled all this summer. After all it did happen 40 years ago this month.

The very groovy poster for 'Taking Woodstock.' Photo from wildaboutmovies.com.

I have seen Woodstock clothes in warehouse and other retail stores. There have been re-releases of the original Woodstock dvd. I even saw some Woodstock pint glasses at Target. Some people have deemed this the ‘Summer of Love’ yet again.

But this seems to be even greater — Ang Lee, director of Brokeback Mountain and Chosen, has created an onscreen homage to the famous festival in his movie Taking Woodstock.

See the complete trailer for Taking Woodstock by clicking this YouTube.com link.

The movie is based on the true story behind the creation of the three day shindig. It starts at the choosing of Yasgur’s farm and ends with the culmination of events from the entire experience. It details locals reactions, kids coming into the music festival, and the general goings-on of the festival creators themselves throughout the whole concert.

Fortunately, the movie will come out soon. August 28 to be exact. That’s only about a week after the real 40th anniversary date of Woodstock. Not bad timing.

I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited for this flick to premiere. Woodstock, as a topic by itself, is so intriguing. It’s history, culture, and music all wrapped up into one little three day jaunt. Until then, peace and love. 🙂